Malec oneshots
by shyberius
Summary: If all you need is a bit of Malec fluff, I'm here for you. You'll find plenty of it here: snapshots of their life together.
1. 1: shining

As the sun went down on Brooklyn, so Alec Lightwood tilted his head down to kiss his husband on the lips.

The light that poured into the room was viscous and golden - it elongated every shadow, so that every movement seemed pronounced and sure.

And Magnus was the only thing he was sure about. The only thing that stayed.

Magnus's eyed were half-closed with pleasure, his irises glowing like precious stones behind his eyelids. He lifted his chin to expose his neck, as if saying, here. So Alec went there. There. And there.

They were a tangled mess on the sofa, all hands and lips and purpose. It was dark now; the only light came from the city outside. It was like this for a while, until Alec lost complete track of time. Then he felt a sudden, hot spark on his arm.

It wasn't painful, the way that static electricity wasn't painful. Magnus had his other hand on Alec's waist. For a split second, Alec felt the same sensation there.

It was Magnus who pulled away first. "Alexander..." His hair was ruffled, his eyeshadow smudged. "Did I..."

Alec grinned. "Accidentally put a spell on me?"

Magnus looked mortified. "No, it's not that. Sometimes, I just get excited, and..." He trailed off, embarrassed, wringing his hands together. "My magic comes out, when I don't mean for it to."

"Magnus", Alec murmured, wide-eyed. "That is adorable."

Magnus looked up from his hands to meet Alec. He'd expected to be met with anger, of fear. Because no one had called his magic adorable before.

He'd been called a monster. An abomination. But every time Alec spoke, it felt like he was rewriting Magnus's past. When Magnus was with him, none of it mattered anymore.

Magnus pulled him in for another kiss, his eyes shining.


	2. 2: love letters

It was 9am, and Magnus padded into the kitchen to find Alec leaning over the stove with his back to him. He turned, his hair ruffled in all the right places, making him look like a bleary-eyed scarecrow.

Magnus probably looked the same. He certainly felt the same.

Alec started walking towards him, and a stray shard on sunlight struck his face, illuminating his eyes. They were high voltage blue, and Magnus forgot himself for a moment.

But then he caught a glimpse of his own face reflected in the window, and noticed, with embarrassment, that his eyes were showing, bright yellow and slit-pupilled. He'd been so tired, so distracted by Alec, that he'd lost control.

Just as Alec drew close, Magnus hastily blinked back the glamour. Alec stopped, a small crease appearing between his eyebrows. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" replied Magnus, hoping he sounded smooth and unaffected.

"Hide your eyes," Alec curled a hand round Magnus's waist. "I love your eyes."

Magnus never thought his heart could have been broken into by such simple words. I love your eyes. One of things he loved about Alec was that he never said what he didn't mean; he had nothing to hide, and was devastatingly honest.

A few words from Alec were worth more that all the flowery, eloquently worded love letters Magnus had received in his lifetime. They always would be.

He took Alec's face into his hands, gently, desperately, and kissed him hard, letting his glamour fall away like a cloak.


	3. 3: at this hour

The moon traced an outline of Magnus's face. Alec lay on his side of he bed, watching him sleep: the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, the flutter of his eyelashes, the stillness of his lips. Alec was just about to fall into a deep sleep too when a sudden change caught his eye.

Magnus's breathing became ragged and uneven. The hand that rested on top of Alec's began to shake. Under the sheets, Magnus stirred restlessly and muttered in a language Alec did not understand.

Immediately, Alec was fully awake. He knew what was happening - he'd seen it before, in Jace when they were children; Alec remembered sitting by his bed until they went away.

Nightmares.

Perhaps it was better to leave Magnus be. After all, he wouldn't appreciate being woken up at this hour - he had a busy day tomorrow. But as he stirred again, a thought struck Alec: there was something he had to ask him. Alec placed a hand on his shoulder, and Magnus sat up with a gasp.

Even in the dark, Alec could see that his eyes were glistening - he didn't need to see, because he could sense Magnus's fear like electricity between them. Magnus gripped the sheets in his fists. "Alexander..." His voice was thick and sticky, as if he were choking on pain. "Go back to sleep. It's okay."

Alec sat up beside him. "No. No, it's not okay."

Before Magnus could answer, Alec had swept him up in a fierce embrace. "Tell me," he breathed, pressing his hand against Magnus's still leaping heartbeat, "how many times have you had nightmares like this, with no one to hold you?"

Magnus drew back, the pain in his eyes unspeakable. In his face, Alec could see his heart exposed; he could see the centuries of loneliness.

Suddenly he felt a wild protectiveness, the sense that, as long and he was alive, he would never let anything bad happen to the warlock. "Next time you're not okay," Alec whispered, planting a soft kiss on Magnus's forehead, "don't tell me that you are."

A/N: Thank you for reading! If you have any requests about what you want me to write next, feel free to leave some in the comments.


	4. 4: snow

"Where are you three going?" Asked Alec, as Magnus, Max and Rafe raced to the door.

"To see the snow." Magnus grinned widely. With a snap of fingers, a scarf curled around Alec's neck, a hat fell onto his head, and gloves pulled themselves onto his hands. Max appeared in front of him, reaching out his arms, and Alec swept him up, planting a quick kiss on his cheek.

"It's going to be so fun," explained Rafe to Alec excitedly as they stepped out into the icy air.

"It absolutely will," Alec ruffled Rafe's hair, then turned to Magnus in confusion. "But it's not snowing here. There's no forecast of..." Magnus raised his eyebrows. Alec knew that look all too well. "No," he said. "Come on, Magnus-"

"We'll be home for dinner, dear." Magnus assured him, Rafe huddled to his side. Max squirmed excitedly in Alec's arms, squealing, "Papa's taking us to the North Pole!"

The portal closed onto an expanse of fir trees, each topped with snow, glistening like fallen sunlight. Max leaped out of Alec's grip and threw himself headfirst into the snow, while Rafe stood stock still, staring at the scene before him in awe. He slowly picked up a handful of the stuff, examining it closely. "Es magia," he breathed.

Alec bent down so that their faces were level. "It's not magic," he said gently. He took a handful, letting it melt into his gloves. "It's snow."

A tiny blue shape ran past them in a blur, giggling madly and colliding with Rafe. The two boys fell together into the snow, rolling around in laughter. "And this," said Alec, gathering more snow and launching it at them playfully, "is a snowball."

In seconds, Magnus had joined in, and the four of them became a laughing mess of breathless, red-faced boys, throwing snowballs and tumbling into snowdrifts. It didn't matter that the youngest of them was three and the oldest was somewhere over four hundred, because, in that moment, they were all children. Is was at times like these that everyone deserved to be a child again.

 _A/N: This story is dedicated to_ vmj9420 _for the lovely comment - thank you!_


	5. 5: protective

It had been raining - Brooklyn stank of it. As Alec trudged home, he caught a glimpse of himself in a puddle.

He'd been out all day fighting demons with Jace, and he looked the part: purple rings under his eyes, ragged gear, and an ugly gash across his cheek. A tired smile, too, because he imagined Magnus fussing over him when he walked in.

Sure enough, when he pushed open the door to their flat, Magnus rushed across the room towards him. "Alexander!" He gasped. "What have you done to you face?"

Alec laughed. "Magnus. I'm a Shadowhunter - I'm doing what I always do."

"But doesn't it hurt?" Magnus frowned, flexing his hand over the cut on his face. With a whisp of blue smoke, the stinging pain instantly subsided.

"Not anymore." Alec grinned. Then he did what he'd always do at the end of the day: look Magnus up and down, and do a quick mental check that he was okay. If he wasn't, the warning signs would be obvious: slouching, droopy hair, and lack of glitter or makeup.

Today Magnus looked his usual shiny self, and Alec breathed an inward sigh of satisfaction. They were both protective of each other, in their own ways. Magnus was fussy, overdramatic; Alec was quiet, calculating.

Alec tilted his head down for a kiss, longing to feel the softness of Magnus's lips against his. Only then did he finally let exhaustion creep up on him, and he leaned his whole body into Magnus, closing his eyes. "Steady!" Magnus held the sleepy Alec upright again, laughing.

Smiling lazily, Alec mumbled, "Can't we just... go to sleep?"

Magnus brushed his hand across his cheek. "You can, Sweetpea. I'll put the boys to bed."

With a grateful squeeze of the hand, Alec plodded to their bedroom, falling asleep within minutes to the muffled sound of his family.


	6. 6: four hundred

"Come on - I can't be the only one hearing this." Jace leaned back so far in his chair that his back nearly touched the opposite wall. He was absent-mindedly cleaning his seraph blade on his shirt, inspecting his reflection in the shiny surface.

"Jace, put the blade away while we're having dinner," said Clary, distributing plates around the table. Jace gave her a look as if to say, _you're not my mother,_ then slipped the blade back into his weapons belt when she shot him a deadly glare. She may be small, but even Jace wouldn't fight her. "As for this, I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can hear it," piped up Izzy, who was already helping herself to egg fried rice.

Jace grinned, and planted a light kiss on Clary's cheek. "Told you."

"Yeah..." Said Simon, who's plate was filled with duck pancakes. Needless to say, said duck pancakes were as far away from Jace as possible. "I kinda sounds like someone's kissing." He made a disgusted face.

"And what's so wrong about kissing?" Asked Izzy innocently. "You seem to like kissing me."

"But it's _you_ ," murmured Simon, turning beet red.

Jace flung out his hand dramatically. "Protect Lewis's virgin ears from these _ghastly_ noises! Oh, poor, poor-"

"I am _not a-_ "

"Cut it out, you two!" Interrupted Clary. She knew they were just teasing each other by now, but it had become a kind of joke between them all. Jace and Simon could not be more opposite; they were so different that it was almost comical.

"Anyway," grinned Izzy between a mouthful of rice, trying to change the subject, "where's Alec?"

Jace gave her a sly smirk. "Good point, Isabelle. In fact," he raised his eyebrow, "I thought Magnus was supposed to be eating with us as well."

 _Outside the institute_

"Magnus, that's not faaaair." Alec laughed between kisses, the wall of the Institute cool against his back, and Magnus's lips hot against his. They were silhouetted against the streetlights, two tangled shapes, almost one.

"Those are still the rules," drawled Magnus, his hand curling around Alec's waste. "If you guess wrong, then I get to kiss you again."

Alec let out a small, happy sigh. "Fine. Four hundred."

Magnus leaned in for another kiss, pressing closer to him for warmth. Alec laughed again, the sound rare and delightful in the night air. "Not even close."

"Six hundred?" Another kiss. Another laugh.

Alec lifted his chin so that it was resting in Magnus's forehead. "I give up. How old _are_ you?"

Magnus said something muffled into Alec's chest, which sounded suspiciously like "not telling you."

"Ah! I get it," Alec buried his nose into Magnus's hair, breathing in perfume and magic. "You won't tell me. Because you just want an excuse to kiss me forever. But let me tell you..." He leaned back down again so that their faces were level. "You don't need an excuse."

Magnus let out a soft moan of pleasure, and kissed him lightly, delicately. His voice was grating and rough. "Our flat. Now."

"I thought we were supposed to be having dinner with the others." Said Alec, suddenly remembering the other plans they'd made.

The two of them turned around slowly, only to be met with Jace, Clary, Izzy and Simon, all standing in the doorway with amused expressions.

"I knew I could hear _something_." Remarked Jace with satisfaction.

 _A/N: Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments! Feel free to requests any ideas for more chapters :)))_


	7. 7: live

_A/N: I know I said these oneshots would be fluff, but I'd be lying to say there isn't some major angst in this._

The room they were in had been turned upside down, emptied out into a battlefield. It used to be a mundane department store until it had been ravaged by a gang of particularly enthusiastic Ravener demons, and now expensive-looking shoes and dresses were strewn on the floor, among smears of dark blood.

Alec Lightwood turned around, faster than a whip, letting his arrow fly into the chest of the demon that had risen behind him. He'd moved onto the next one, even before the first demon had exploded and been dragged back to where it came from.

For Alec, the only noises he could hear were the singing of his arrow as he let it go and his own heavy, pounding heartbeat. All he could see were the black, swirling shapes of the other Shadowhunters, blending with demons.

And Magnus. He always picked Magnus out of the chaos - it wasn't difficult when he was practically glowing, honing his magic into a weapon and fighting with the rest of them. Seraph blades glowed; witchlight glowed; but Magnus was fiercer. Brighter.

Two more demons down; three, four... Alec felt the solid presence of Jace as they fought back-to-back, in perfect time with each other.

Then it was over. The last demon disappeared in a shower of smoke, leaving Izzy behind it with her whip still in mid-slash. She grinned at Alec, a long gash fresh on her cheek. " _Done_."

Alec walked up to her, reaching out to quickly sketch an _iratze_ \- the cut closed up neatly. "Thanks, Alec," Izzy grinned. Suddenly she looked past his and her eyes widened. "Alec..." Her voice was thick with fear.

He whipped around, and searched the dim space for what she had seen. It was a crumpled, unmoving heap on the ground, with Clary crouched beside it, shaking.

Alec's heart contracted painfully. _Magnus._

He crossed the room in three huge strides, throwing himself down beside him. "What happened?" He almost shouted at Clary, his throat made raw with panic.

"I-I don't know, Alec," said Clary, nursing her own injury: an arm, bent at an odd angle. "I just saw him, I..." She sounded sympathetic, heartbroken for him, as if Magnus were already dead. Alec felt an ungodly rage well up inside him - not at Clary, but at the universe.

It wasn't his fault that Clary was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Get away from him," he snarled - Clary backed away.

"Alec, it's not her fault-" began Izzy.

Alec raised a hand to silence her. "I know. I'm sorry."

Clary nodded at him sadly, giving him a look Alec thought meant, _do what you need to do._ Alec placed a hand on Magnus's shoulder to turn him over, revealing an ashen face and a torso slick with blood. "No." Alec peeled back Magnus's shirt to show the mangled skin beneath, ripped to shreds by the demon. "No, no, no."

He fumbled for his neck, pressing two trembling fingers to feel his pulse. It was faint, whispering, but it was there. That was what mattered.

Magnus opened his eyes, slowly, painstakingly. Alec leaned closer to him - he hadn't realised until now that he was holding him tightly against his own body, letting his blood soak into his own clothes. When Alec spoke, he said one word. It was the simplest word, but it was the most important. His voice was ragged, rasping, choked with fear.

It wasn't a question. It was an order.

" _Live._ "

 _Two weeks later_

Since that night, Magnus had been in a coma, induced by the Brother Jedidiah for his safety. It was the only thing keeping him alive.

Since that night, Alec had barely left his side, checking on Magnus, smoothing back his hair from his eyes. It was the only thing keeping him from going insane.

When Magnus finally woke up, Alec was talking to Jace with his back to the bed. Magnus coughed violently, snagging his attention immediately. Alec rushed to him, his heart racing.

"Magnus." Alec whispered. "How...?"

"You told me to live," he said, a smile playing across his features. "So I did."


	8. 8: short

As usual, Alec walked into the flat without knocking. "I need that book on demon tracking - the Clave asked for it."

Magnus rose from the sofa, where he had been patiently translating an ancient spell for Catarina. His face lit up when he saw Alec, and he placed a quick peck on his cheek. "Of course."

Magnus located the book immediately - it was a brown, leather-bound volume, resting on the top shelf. _That,_ thought Magnus sadly, _was the problem._

"Darling," he said, fiddling with one of his rings. "You'll have to fetch this one yourself."

A puzzled look passed over Alec's features for a moment. "I'll have to...?"

Then he grinned. The grin stretched across his whole face. "You're too short, aren't you?" Said Alec gleefully.

"Absolutely not," Magnus smirked. "I'm simply...too tired. I've just had a major magic depletion, you see." He threw himself back onto the sofa for dramatic effect.

"Oh yeah?" Alec grinned, sitting down next to him so that they bumped shoulders. "Doing what?"

"Sealing a rift. Nasty things to deal with, they are." Magnus rested his head on Alec's shoulder, burrowing into the crook of his neck.

"Funny. I'm sure the Institute would have been notified of that, but I don't recall any business of that sort today." They both knew Magnus was lying - it was a silly game by this point.

"Fine!" Magnus sighed. "I am _shorter than you._ Happy?"

Alec threw his head back and laughed, full and loud, making Magnus laugh too. "I never expected you to admit it."

"Well, now I'm entitled to all the forehead kisses I want," said Magnus reasonably.

"And I," added Alec, "request an unlimited supply of neck kisses."

Magnus looked at him pointedly, thinking of the delicate pale skin of his neck. He closed his eyes in pleasure at the mere thought. "I'm all yours, Alexander."

Back at the Institute, Jace was getting impatient. Alec had said that he'd be back with that book hours ago, but still there was no sign. He would turn up eventually, with his neck plastered in pink marks and a dazed look on his face, but no book.

"Stupid _parabatai._ " Jace muttered under his breath.

 _A/N: Do send requests! I'll write anything, as long as it's not smut :)_


	9. 9: keep him

Magnus came home not to one person, but two.

"Magnus," said Alec, quiet but pleased, walking over to the door and planting a quick kiss on his forehead.

"Alexander," Magnus smiled wearily, as Alec led him by the hand into the living room.

"Hey, Magnus," Catarina grinned up at the two of them from the sofa. "I was just coming over to pick up that spell you translated for me, but I heard you were having takeout. So I stayed." Magnus liked how comfortable Cat felt around him. And around Alec. But who _didn't_ feel comfortable around Alec? He simply oozed calm, in ways that Magnus never could, no matter how hard he tried.

"Long shift at the hospital?" Asked Magnus, tossing his coat onto the rug and sitting down next to her, motioning for Alec to sit down too.

"Madness, as usual. I don't know what those mundanes do without magic." She leaned back into one of Magnus's many technicolored cushions. "Anyway. I've been having some good talks with your charming boyfriend over here."

A few blots of colour rose on Alec's cheeks, and he smiled warmly. "Mmm."

"Have you now?" Magnus instinctively scooched closer to Alec, so that their arms pressed together comfortably. "Isn't he just wonderful?"

Alec buried his face down into Magnus's shoulder, saying something which was muffled, but sounded a lot like, "Stoooop it."

Magnus grinned. "I'll never stop telling you how wonderful you are, darling."

Alec grabbed his hand under the cushions, where Catarina couldn't see. Like their secret. "So, what have you two been talking about?" Magnus asked.

"Oh, I was just telling Alec about that time when you got so drunk that you accidentally summoned a demon," Catarina smirked.

"It was a _lesser demon,_ " corrected Magnus, slightly mortified. "Anyway, it was in the Sahara desert, so no one saw it."

Alec resurfaced, laughing softly. "What did you _drink?_ "

"Oh, don't ask her questions - she'll tell you everything." Said Magnus. "Do you really want to know?"

"No." Decided Alec. Some things were better left unsaid, and this was one of them.

"Any other amusing stories you've been telling him?" Asked Magnus, giving Catarina a pointed look.

"She said that you pushed Marie Antionette out of a window." Alec piped up. Catarina grinned again, picking up an empty glass from the table and magically filling it with wine.

"Into an air balloon, mind - I wouldn't have put her in any danger." Magnus corrected, resting his legs on the coffee table. "We need to get our facts right."

"Sure." With a raised eyebrow, Alec got up from the sofa, Magnus grabbing onto his hand with a small cry of disappointment. "I'm only calling the Chinese restaurant! What do you want?"

"The usual." Magnus let go of his hand, and Alec wandered into the kitchen.

Once he was out of earshot, Catarina leaned closer to Magnus, so that only he could hear her. "Him," she whispered. "Keep him."

Their gazes locked. Cat knew how long he'd been looking; she knew just what he needed, what he'd always needed but never had. And now it was here - it had been sitting between them just now.

 _Him._

"You've been so used to people taking from you. And you never minded, did you? They took your magic, your emotions, your strength." Catarina reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from Magnus's eyes. It was a sisterly gesture - a gesture of care. "But look at him. He _gives_ ," she said, looking up at Alec, who returned to the sofa with an oblivious smile on his face and the takeout menu in his hand.

Before Alec had sat down, Magnus was on his feet, and he'd taken his face in his hands and kissed him tenderly, with all the love of two people who had just met. They broke away. "What was that for?" Alec asked, blushing furiously.

"That was for you." Said Magnus.


	10. 10: new year's

It was New Year's Eve, and Alec didn't know why they were making such a big deal about it. Magnus had always payed attention to the mundane traditions - maybe that was why they were in a mundane bar now, breathing in the musty scent of lip gloss and champagne.

Alec stepped outside into the cold night air. He didn't mind being in there as long and Magnus was by his side, but the heat could get stifling every now and then. He needed a breather.

Suddenly a tall figure drew up beside him. "Is everything okay?" Magnus's voice drifted towards him.

"Fine, really," Alec reassured him with a bright smile.

They stood for a moment in comfortable silence, taking in the lights of the city. Brooklyn seemed to be trying extra hard tonight to look beautiful tonight. "Another year..." Magnus said wistfully, more to himself than to anyone else.

Alec turned to face him, and wondered if he saw the glint of tears in Magnus's eye. Or perhaps it was just the streetlights reflected back; he didn't ask. "Time's different for you, isn't it?"

"It is," Magnus agreed. "A year can drag on so painfully, Alec. Or it can fly past in a second, and I try to catch it, but it escapes me." He paused, and took a deep breath. "You changed that. When I'm with you..."

Alec rarely found the High Warlock of Brooklyn struggling for words. He was pretty sure Magnus spoke more languages than he even knew existed, but right now, outside this mundane bar, he couldn't describe how he felt around him. It made Alec feel warm.

"...everything slows down." Magnus continued. "I can't explain it. It's as if I don't have to think about time anymore. There's now, and there's not now. Nothing else."

The noise from inside the bar grew steadily louder. Magnus smiled, and Alec got caught again by that dizzying feeling that an ancient, all-powerful warlock had given him the time of day. He hoped he'd get used to it one day.

"Five!" The crowds shouted. Alec looked to Magnus. Were they supposed to do something? Was it part of the tradition?

"Four! Three!" The countdown continued, and the noises of excitement rose to a crescendo.

"Two! One!" Alec almost staggered back as a pair of warm lips met his. After what felt like a lifetime but was only a second, they pulled away, grinning like schoolboys.

"It's the tradition," said Magnus.

"Oh." Alec blushed. "I thought you were kissing me...just because."

Magnus made a sound which was simultaneously exasperated and adoring. "I don't know what they teach you Nephilim these days."

"Oh, I don't know..." Said Alec sarcastically as they walked down the street, hands tangled together. "They teach us how to save the world, I guess? That's sort of important."

"What's _more_ important," Magnus planted a quick kiss on his cheek, "is when to kiss your boyfriend on New Year's. They should put that in the curriculum."

"Sure." Alec smirked. It was like this: every look they shared was like an inside joke, accessible only to them.

Yeah. He could get used to this.


End file.
